Child of the Shadows
by Wise Owl Emporium
Summary: There's a room in the TARDIS that the Doctor doesn't know about, a room that a certain Pond has stumbled upon by chance. Inside is an unwanted child whom no one knows of, even though they've been seen before... things are about to get extremely intriguing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Salutations, my peepity peeps! I'm back to serve up some more random fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who = BBC property. Blah blah blah...**

**Let'sa go, as Mario would say!**

* * *

_Child of the Shadows_

_Chapter 1_

It was far too early to be even thinking about getting up, but Amy just couldn't stay in bed. She needed to wander – to think, to clear her mind. And the TARDIS was certainly big enough for her not to bump into the Doctor in the process. It wasn't that she didn't like him or anything; she would never think that. It was just that sometimes, women needed time to themselves.

Now more than ever.

Slowly, painstakingly, she inched herself away from Rory where he lay next to her, swung her legs over the side of the mattress and stood up, pausing only to put on a dressing-gown and slippers. Luckily the door was slightly ajar, so there would be no tell-tale click from the lock to betray her leaving.

Reassured by this, the redhead began her walk. She wasn't sure where it might take her, but wherever she ended up, she would be safe. She was almost certain of that; the TARDIS liked having her on board, so the Doctor said.

_The Doctor…_ even thinking about him led her mind to muse on another. One who had come out of nowhere, and yet had seemed so interested in her. Unnervingly so. Clearing her mind of this, she continued her amble along the faintly humming metal corridors, one hand trailing along the wall so she could feel her way in the darkness.

But then the humming stopped. A slow, faint, ominous chime took its place: the cloister bell, although of course Amy had no way of identifying it. Frowning, she glanced at the door she had just come to. The corridor it headed was a dead end, which struck her as odd, since she had assumed from the start that such a thing simply couldn't exist in the old girl's vast interior. Yet here it was, plain to see – and the door was a feast for the eyes in the most unconventional way imaginable.

It was of an old-fashioned style, that was clear. The brass handle was dull and dusty, and the wood of the door looked as if it had been – there was no other word for it – _infested. _Leaves and thin vines poked through every other inch of oak, coating almost the entire thing in a luminous green hue. Curiosity wracked the Scot's mind as she tentatively put her ear to the door, and hearing nothing, she placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed down.

It seemed stuck at first – _and for good reason, _Amy's conscience scolded her – but with a push it yielded, disclosing what lay behind. Her first impression was of a plant nursery; the same skinny vegetation roped its way around and over the ceiling, but for some reason didn't dare touch the walls or floorboards. The rest of the odd room was relatively empty, save for a large trunk in one corner – and a bed.

A single bed, quite small even by those standards, clad in pitch-black sheets. A spindly bedside table was vaguely visible alongside. But the most intriguing thing, Amy discovered as she crept closer, was that it was _occupied _by someone.

A short, slightly balding, chillingly familiar someone.

* * *

**O.O , you may be thinking, ja? Stay tuned for more!**

**Wise Owl :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hiiiii! Thanks to Akayuki Sawada for favouriting, following and reviewing (you wanna know what happens next? You're gonna find ouuuuut...)**

**Disclaimer: Despite being thoroughly British, I don't own!**

**On with the show, old beans! Jolly hockey sticks!**

* * *

_Child of the Shadows_

_Chapter 2_

_"Got to sort your men out. Choose, even…"_

_"You can't fool me. I've seen your dreams – some of them twice, Amy…"_

_"Anything could happen…"_

Shivers ran down the redhead's spine as she stared at the man in the bed. The Dream Lord. It didn't make sense. The Doctor had got rid of the pollen, she had seen that herself. So… how was this possible?

He appeared to be sleeping soundly. That was strange in itself; she had assumed that his not-quite-real nature would cancel out that necessity. Apparently not, she reasoned now. Well, at least he didn't seem particularly dangerous like this; now she'd just leave quietly and tell the Doctor in the –

The small man in the bed twitched suddenly. A pair of bluish eyes snapped open, fixing her with an enquiring, arresting stare. Paralyzed with sudden fear, Amy could only stare back. "What… are you… doing here?" she demanded of him in a whisper.

For some reason, there was something in the creature's eyes that seemed… _different _from last time. When the Scot voiced her quietly furious question, the Dream Lord's expression was strangely vacant, with a vague little smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. Where was the sly, coy persona they had all found so unpleasant not too long ago? She tried again, glaring at him.

_"What are you doing here?"_

When this again received no spoken reply, Amy started to wonder. Was he now deaf for some reason? Unaware that she was now speaking more gently after this thought, she added, "Can you hear me?"

Gaze never leaving hers, the Dream Lord nodded slowly. His smile grew wider, but remained just as absent. In the creepiest way imaginable, he reminded Amy of a TV programme she had once seen about infants in a children's home. One of them, she remembered with a jolt, had worn that same smile, and had reached for the cameraman out of innocent curiosity…

Like _he _was doing now. With a yelp, she backed away from the creature – a mind parasite, she suddenly remembered the Doctor saying. The Dream Lord's arm abruptly dropped from where it had been lifted up towards her, as if he was disappointed at her reaction. _Well, let him be, _Amy's conscience spat snobbishly. _Think of all the trouble he caused you._

Without hesitating, she ran for the door.

* * *

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please review and stay tuned for more!**

**Wise Owl :)**


End file.
